astroengine writes: "We've all wondered about it. When flying at 30,000ft, you look around the cramped economy class cabin thinking 'I wonder if I'd survive being sucked out of this plane if a hole, say, just opened above my head?' That's probably around the time that you should fasten your seat belt. According to medical experts interviewed by Discovery News in the wake of the Southwest Airlines gaping hole incident, the rapid depressurization, low oxygen levels and freezing cold would render you unconscious very quickly. Assuming you don't get chopped in half as you exit through the hole and hit the tail, you'd be long dead before you hit the ground. Nice."

Back in the dark ages, I was given training on bailing out of large aircraft at altitude. First off, it's cold. I was told that the eyes will freeze, if you open them at high altitude. Air Force chutes then had a small oxygen bottle, but not enough to let you open the chute at altitude. You did something called HALO - High Altitude, Low Opening. With your eyes shut, and using the oxygen, you did a free fall to around 12,000 feet. THEN you opened the chute.